Effect of quenching and tempering medium carbon steel AISI 1045 to microstructure and hardness

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Abstract
Metal is an essential substance in the industrial world for supporting human life and technological advancement. Shaping and increasing metal’s ability involves the heat treatment process. This research aims to see how the microstructure and hardness of metal change after being heat treated with quenching and tempering medium at room temperature and ice. The experiment was conducted utilizing a heat treatment process involving heating the material to 840°C for 60 minutes, then quenching it with water and ice and tempering it at 200°C for 20 minutes. The hardness test employs the Rockwell Hardness Test method, which uses a 9-point hardness scale with the primary load (P) of 150kg-f. The observations for the micro test were in the form of density variations in ferrite, pearlite, and martensite crystal grains. Microstructure investigations showed the presence of martensite in the material after being heat-treated. The hardness test showed that the carbon steel material experienced a decrease in hardness from the initial value of 43.12 HRC to 39.32 HRC and 38.14 HRC after quenching water and ice water. The comparison of tempering has no significant effect on hardness with values of 40.63 HRC and 38.94 HRC tempering followed by water-quenching and ice water-quenching, respectively.

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